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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. firm — steady
  7. squash — the sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. firm — a company
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lie — to recline
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. file — a tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. file — a document
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com